Two captains, the vastness of the sea and a war that puts them on a collision course. Duel in the Atlantic (OT: The Enemy Below) spins a crisp naval thriller that lives particularly from the two film legends at the center of the story.
The Submarine film influenced the original Star Trek series
The Atlantic during World War II: Captain Murrell (Robert Mitchum) has not yet fully recovered from his injuries from his last battle when he tracks down a German submarine with the destroyer escort Haynes. On the other bridge stands Captain von Stolberg (Curd Jürgens), who is critical of the Nasazi regime and considers the war to be lost. A dangerous duel between two tacticians beginswho gain more and more respect for each other.
The excellently played fight between the two captains should entertain fans of Das Boot or The Hunt for Red October. Variety praised the film as “Captivating story of a chess-like duel“.
20th Century Pictures
Duel in the Atlantic
The story will also be familiar to Trekkies. A comparable scenario takes place in the 14th episode of the first season of Star Trek. The Enterprise, under the command of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), becomes aware of an invisible enemy: it is the space equivalent of a submarine, namely a Romulan spaceship with a cloaking device. Since there has been no contact with the Romulans since a war, the minds of the Enterprise are full of drawing-board-like images of the enemy, which are called into question in the course of the ensuing cat and mouse game.
Balance of Terror is the original title of the episode (DT: Spock under suspicion), which impressed in 1966 as a nuanced commentary on the very real Cold War. Today, the homage to Duel in the Atlantic regularly appears in the best lists of Star Trek episodes. The Season 1 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds also paid tribute to Balance of Terror.
This is how you can watch Duel in the Atlantic
Duel in the Atlantic is underway today, December 4th from 11:20 p.m. on Tele 5. A repeat is not planned. You can also buy and rent the film from providers such as Apple or Amazon.